Another Busy Week

It's been busy since Palm Sunday (or before) with several guests coming in for training conferences (and staying at my house) and it being that Easter time of year.

I'm teaching a song for Easter to our church women and a skit to the Bible students. I'm wondering when I'll get them time. That and the stiff neck and all...

Stiff Neck

I developed a nasty stiff neck yesterday afternoon. Still sore.

Thank You Mrs. R. Temple-Wright

As I sort of promised yesterday, here is a excerpt from "Baker and Cook" by Mrs. R. Temple-Wright.

(Exactly as written, emphasis all hers):

"Why I make my own Bread.
Even at the risk of shocking you, I must not mince matters, but tell you my reasons in plain language. I saw one afternoon a baker's carrier bringing a basket of bread from the bazaar into the station; he was stopped by a purchaser, who findered every loaf before he decided which he would buy. That fastidious would-be purchaser was a -- leper!
I went to a baker's shop, and entered into a conversation with a boy who seemed to be in charge, but who, being unable to answer questions, called out to the baker who was making bread in the next room. The baker appeared with the dough stinking to his fingers and on seeing a lady, said he would wash his hands and return. He did so, and stood revealed as a miserable leper!
I have seen dirty sheets taken off the dirty body and used for tying up the atta with which next day's bread was to be made! My own eyes have beheld the family blanket pulled off the bed of sickness and of death, and used in the bazaar bakehouse to keep warm the dough which would presently appear in the form of bread for European consumption! I have seen far more than this, but I need not tell more. I feel sure you have already resolved, as I did years before, never to eat bazaar bread."

Mrs. R. Temple-Wright, thanks for not holding back or mincing matters.

atta = whole wheat flour

Mystery Solved

Well, this morning I dug through the rejected books til I found my Tarzan.

I was off a little bit.
OK, way off, but notice the subtitle, "The Jungle Man Finds a Bride." And hey, who could notice the title with that picture staring you in the face?
Sadly, this Tarzan is only half a book, I may still try to read it, up to page 118 at least.

Treasure Finding

Our Bible College Library got a donation of over 1000 books from a Christian Conference Center in our city that was formerly an Irish Presbyterian Mission until the 1980s when all the foreign missionaries got kicked out of India.

The original library has just been sitting there full of valuable English books for decades until we kept after them to give them to us - and last week, they did.

Here are some of the treasures I've already found while going through and cataloguing the books:

Georgette Heyer! I adore reading Georgette Heyer (hey, I never said all the books were theological...). Powder and Patch, Sprig Muslin and Envious Casca (Not Regency, but one of her mysteries, which I've never read. Obviously, a previously resident of the Mission was a fan.

Today I came across a volume of Little Women (L. M. Alcott) that was awarded as a gift to a girl for academics. The inscription reads: "Easter Examinations 1898." Uh huh. Treasure trove for a person like me.

Inscription.

I also found two Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Ah, many a happy Saturday afternoon was spent by me watching Tarzan movies. The first Tarzan book I came across was called something like "Tarzan Finds a Wife." But I can't for the life of me find anything about it on the Internet*. Sadly, it was only half a book and had to be discarded. Otherwise I totally would be reading that instead of blogging. Today I found, Tarzan the Invincible. (see above)

Finally, I was happy to find some cookbooks, etc. and this is my most spectacular find to date: Baker and Cook, A Domestic Manual for India by Mrs. R. Temple-Wright. Published in 1912 in Calcutta. Baker and Cook - is that me, or what?

From the preface to the First Edition: "I have only tried to help people make their own bread in out-stations where good bread is not obtainable, and to assist housewives by making the task of ordering dinner as little irksome as possible. I hope these notes will enable hostesses to make the best use of the cheaper, and far more wholesome fresh food obtainable in the country, without having to fall back on the more expensive European tinned provisions."

Mrs. Temple-Wright seems mostly interested in teaching her readers how to make Yeast. And, hey, housewives are supposed to order dinner???

Her writing style is utterly delightful and practical - it deserves it's own post.

Thanks, members of the IP Mission for leaving us all these books.

You wouldn't believe it from this post but the majority of the books are Bible College appropriate.

*I'm going to have to go through the boxes of non-appropriate or damaged books to find that Tarzan Finds a Wife one now... The Internet has failed me.

Pix For Grammy

P.

P. in her dress from Grammy.
C. looking sleepy.

G. in her fairy dress from Grammy (and Grandpop, of course.)

P. just because.

E. Doing homework?!

OK, this one takes the cake!

Indian Post

Mom is so good to us. She blesses us with frequent packages of stuff from the USA. Recently she sent a package that had several boxes of chocolates in it. Yum!
When I opened the outer box I realized that it had a large hole in it and it was taped over. Weird, that had never happened before.

As I looked into the box I saw there was a plastic bag with boxes of chocolate in it. One box in particular seemed strange. A quarter of the chocolates were already eaten!

When I flipped the box of chocolate truffles over what did I find- but another hole!

Stinkin' mice.

I can only imagine the surprise of the Indian custom's officer who opened this box and got more than he bargained for. Eeeek!

There were no mice in the box when I opened it - thank goodness.

Yes, we still ate the remaining chocolate truffles.

Children's Choir Sunday

The kids in our church led the worship service today. I think I cried three times. It was so great.

* Videos of this on Facebook.

I Told You We Were Tired

No Mood, No Time

I've suffered from a lack of interest in writing on the blog lately coupled with a lack of time. Occasionally when I have time, I'm not in the mood and when I have something to write, I have no time.

My Little Women

I love being the mother of four girls. I never imagined that one day I would be mother to so many girls, but it's great.

I love it when we all play together and roll around on the bed and try to zerbert each other's tummies. I love it when I say - "Hey, it's the baby's nap time. Everybody out of mommy's room."

Kids are great, but I occasionally need a break too.

Faces From P.'s Party

Thanks to Joyce for taking these beautiful pictures...

Random Pix From P.'s 1st

New friend Deena who was visiting with us from Guam for a few days.

P. showing off her new payals. (ankle bracelets)

Ahhh, the testimony of P.s birth.

Choir and G. playing with balloons.

Old friend, Joyce, who took all these pictures (except this one, obviously). She was also visiting us from Guam for a few days. Loads of fun.

O. with P. in a big hat.

That's all I can get loaded for now.